WORLD launches season 8 of its award-winning documentary series Local, USA this Black History Month with In the Bubble with Jaime, a personal and political portrait of Democratic National Committee (DNC) Chair Jaime Harrison. Executive produced by Charlamagne tha God and directed by award-winning filmmaker Emily Harrold (While I Breathe, I Hope), the film brings viewers behind the scenes of the daring 2020 Senate campaign of Harrison, a Black man, against long-time U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham in the deep red state of South Carolina. The run became a Herculean effort when COVID-19 became a global pandemic. The film sees Harrison reflect on his childhood as the son of a teenage single mother who went on to graduate Yale University and Georgetown Law and his rise in politics. Harrold’s film, which offers insights into the man who is now in charge of electing Democrats in local and national offices around the country as head of the DNC, airs on Monday, February 5 at 8 p.m. as part of a one-hour special that will feature a conversation with Charlamagne tha God and Harrold, both South Carolina natives.

“Since its inception, Local, USA has brought audiences stories of the diverse communities and people that shape our nation, and Emily Harrold’s In the Bubble with Jaime is an exciting addition to the series and strong season opener, offering a unique look at how individuals can help transform their communities,” said Chris Hastings, Executive Producer of WORLD at GBH in Boston.

Local, USA shines the spotlight on communities around the country, sharing “untold” stories of unsung heroes and important issues, each episode crafted by independent producers or local public television stations in different parts of the nation. The season continues on Monday, February 12 at 9 p.m. with FIRSTHAND: Segregation, by Chicago’s PBS station WTTW, which investigates the hidden causes and devastating results of segregation in the midwestern city.

On February 19 and February 26, at 9 p.m., Local, USA continues with HBCU Week: Beyond the Field and HBCU Week: Tradition and Competition, a deep dive into the Historically Black College and Universities (HBCU) experience. Presented in partnership with Maryland Public Television in coordination with WHUT (Howard University Television), PBS North Carolina, SCETV and Louisiana Public Broadcasting, the two presentations share the culture, community and legacy of these beloved institutions, on the field, on campus and beyond.

Minnesota’s Alt-Meat Revolution by Pioneer PBS on Monday, March 25 examines the rise and popularity of plant-based protein across the world. The documentary, a partnership between the Minnesota-based PBS station, the West Central Tribune and WORLD, with funding from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, airs on Pioneer PBS, WORLD’s YouTube channel and the PBS App.

The slate also includes Freedom Hill, a co-presentation of Local, USA and AfroPoP: The Ultimate Cultural Exchange on April 22 at 9 p.m. Director Resita Cox turns her lens on Princeville, North Carolina, the first town in America to be legally established by free Blacks, and captures the plight of Black towns across America when it comes to environmental racism. The film follows a Princeville native as she tries to save her hometown, which has endured major damage with frequent “100-year” floods. The film will broadcast on WORLD with distribution on PBS Plus and the PBS Documentaries Prime Video Channel. The film is a co-presentation with Black Public Media.

Fire Tender, by Roni Jo Draper, PhD (Yurok), follows grandmother, cultural educator, healer and Indigenous fire practitioner Margo Robbins as she carries on the Yurok tribe’s tradition of “putting fire on the land,” a practice of renewal that has been outlawed for over a century to the detriment of the territory. The documentary, which demonstrates how the tradition reduces the risk of wildfires, can be viewed on WORLD’s YouTube channel and the PBS App beginning April 24. The film is a co-presentation with Vision Maker Media.

In honor of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, Local, USA presents Cathy You’s Chinatown Auxiliary on May 13 at 9 p.m. The film follows a team of elderly volunteers, affiliates of the local police precinct, as they patrol New York City’s Chinatown district. Formed in the 1970s to protect the community from Chinese gangs and robberies and racism by other New Yorkers, the group sees a renewed need for their presence 50 years later in light of an explosion of anti-Asian hate fomented around the COVID-19 pandemic. The film is presented in partnership with the Center for Asian American Media (CAAM).

The season also includes WHRO’s Against the Current: Life on the Eastern Shore, airing April 29 at 9 p.m. The film, which takes viewers to rural and coastal communities in Eastern Virginia, explores the impact of warming temperatures and rising sea levels on ways of life that have animated this part of the country for generations. It airs on WHRO, the PBS station serving Norfolk and the Hampton Roads region, WORLD’s YouTube channel and the PBS App.

Additional episodes will be announced at a later date.

Local, USA can be viewed on WORLD, WORLD’s YouTube channel, WORLDChannel.org and the PBS App. Exclusive digital content can also be viewed on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok and on WORLD’s YouTube channel.